As smoke from hundreds of burning wildfires spread across Canada and the United States, the first three operational satellites in the Google-backed FireSat program successfully launched into orbit. The satellites will begin providing wildfire detection capable of spotting even small fires in the United States, Australia, and Europe before the end of the year.

The launch of the microsatellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 7, 2026 marks a transition to “initial operational capability” for the FireSat constellation managed by the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance. After a three-month testing period, the three satellites will begin actively providing data to fire agencies while covering every fire-prone region on Earth at least twice per day.

FireSat represents the first satellite constellation purpose-built for detecting wildfires, including spotting smaller fires that other satellites may miss. The satellites were designed by California-based satellite manufacturer Muon Space and have received over $15 million from Google to support initial deployment. Other notable financial supporters include the Bezos Earth Fund that committed $26 million.

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A new book sheds light on President Trump’s affinity for fossil fuels.

A new book sheds light on President Trump’s affinity for fossil fuels.

© Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times

As wildfires intensify, threatening more people, a nonprofit is studying how to rethink homes and neighborhoods to prevent catastrophe.

Days that are both extremely hot and polluted come with higher risks of respiratory ailments and other health hazards.

Roger Worthington is helping to lead a $50 billion lawsuit against oil producers. This week he’ll face powerful critics in Congress.

Roger Worthington is helping to lead a $50 billion lawsuit against oil producers. This week he’ll face powerful critics in Congress.

© Michael Hanson for The New York Times

In the past weeks, two sites in the United States have halted operations.

© Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

The Trump administration wants to roll back some Biden-era restrictions on smog-causing emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.

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Recent technological advances have brought the president’s goals a bit closer to reality.

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In March 2021, the carcasses of at least 260 marine organisms from 81 species, including large animals called megafauna, washed ashore in South Africa. Scientists questioned whether this event was the result of an extreme temperature drop that can happen when deep, cold water rises to the surface along coastlines. Scientists refer to these rapid cooling events as coastal upwelling. 

Climate change is making oceans warmer, but it’s also making coastal upwelling stronger, with unknown consequences for marine megafauna. Scientists recently studied 2 boundary currents that are rapidly warming and creating strong upwelling near the edges of sharks’ geographic ranges: the Agulhas Current in southern Africa and the East Australian Current in eastern Australia. They wanted to determine whether climate-driven changes in upwelling zones are making cold-shock events more frequent and intense, and how these events are pushing sharks beyond their temperature limits. 

First, the researchers analyzed sea surface temperature data from satellites to see if rapid cooling from upwelling caused the mass marine die-off in 2021. They also obtained hourly temperature recordings from temperature loggers to measure subsurface temperature changes during the event. They found that during the March 2021 event, sea surface temperatures along the coast dropped by up to 7°C (12°F) in less than 48 hours, from 24°C (75°F) to below 17°C (63°F). Subsurface temperatures dropped faster, by more than 9°C (16°F) in 24 hours, from 21°C (70°F) to 12°C (54°F). 

Bullsharks experience physiological stress at temperatures below 19°C (66°F), which is near their lower thermal limit, when migrating through rapid cooling zones. Therefore, the researchers deduced that during the 2021 cold-shock event, the sharks were exposed to temperatures several degrees below their thermal limit, possibly more than 5°C (or 10°F) colder. 

The researchers also tagged 66 bull sharks with acoustic and satellite transmitters – including 41 at the Agulhas Current in South Africa and 25 at the East Australian Current in eastern Australia – to determine how they responded near their lower thermal limits in these zones. The acoustic tags record when sharks pass underwater receivers, providing information on their movements, locations, and water depths at those specific locations. In contrast, satellite tags continuously record the water temperatures and depths the sharks experience over time. 

The researchers used these data to compare sharks living in warm subtropical waters with those living in cooler waters at the edge of their temperature range. The researchers found that low temperatures that persisted for long periods prevented the sharks and other megafauna from physiologically recovering. They saw that some sharks try to swim to shallower depths and look for warmer water, but cooling sometimes happened faster than they could respond. 

The researchers also obtained wind records from the South African Weather Service to determine if upwelling-favorable winds happened before the 2021 event. They reported strong easterly winds pushing cold water on the surface along the coastline immediately before the event occurred. Because the cooling, strong winds, and animal deaths happened at the same time and place, the researchers inferred that upwelling was the main reason for the die-off.

Finally, the researchers examined 41 years of sea surface temperature data and used mathematical models to compute changes in the frequency and intensity of these events. Their analysis showed that rapid cooling events linked to upwelling can last a lot longer than the usual 1 to 3 days. For example, the March 2021 event lasted for 7 days. 

They found that these events have increased in both frequency and intensity in the past decades, and produce more extreme temperature drops than typically happen within 24 hours. Their results suggested that the 2021 die-off was part of an increasing trend, where warming oceans allow species to move into different areas, but intense upwelling can suddenly expose them to fatal cold events. This pattern is what scientists call a climate bait-and-switch. 

The researchers concluded that climate change is making coastal upwelling stronger, which can push marine megafauna beyond their thermal limits, even when initial warming appears to be beneficial. Their findings highlight an understudied aspect of climate change in the context of how temperature and upwelling cause shifts in species survival. They concluded their findings could help predict how marine ecosystems respond to future changing ocean conditions.

The post Cold shocks in a warming ocean affect large marine animals appeared first on Sciworthy.

Nearly 170 billion tons of ice melt off the Greenland Ice Sheet every year, but scientists don’t fully understand the process by which this melting occurs. Researchers in the past suggested that liquid water forms at the glacier’s surface, where warm air and sunlight melt the ice. This meltwater travels down through cracks in the glacier and along the bedrock beneath it and flows out to sea. 

However, some scientists view this model as too simple because it assumes water only flows downward and ignores how temperature affects water movement. They argue that an oversimplified melting model is unreliable for predicting how future ice sheets will behave.

One group of researchers tested this by investigating how water movement across Greenland is controlled by lakes beneath the ice sheet, called subglacial lakes. They monitored a newly discovered subglacial lake using high-resolution satellite images taken from 2012 to 2019 and 3D surface maps generated from the images. They focused on ice sheet changes from July 22 to August 1, 2014, during a suspected subglacial lake drainage event. A drainage event is like a water balloon that’s too full, bursting from excess pressure. 

They examined images of the Greenland ice sheet taken from Landsat-8, 3D surface maps from the Polar Geospatial Center, and data from ICESat and ICESat-2 taken in the summer of 2014. Based on these data, the researchers identified a 2-square-kilometer (0.8-square-mile) region of ice rising 10 to 15 meters (about 30 to 50 feet), forming a dome on the ice sheet’s surface. They suggested that this dome formed when a large, meltwater-fed lake developed on the bedrock beneath the ice sheet, pushing the ice upward. 

They also saw that on July 22, 2014, the dome began to collapse. Over the next 10 days, it dropped by 85 meters (about 280 feet), forming a basin. Using the dome’s dimensions, the researchers estimated that 90 million cubic meters, or about 3 billion cubic feet, of water drained from the lake at an average rate of 100 cubic meters, or about 3500 cubic feet, per second over the 10 days. This is roughly equivalent to 36,000 Olympic swimming pools draining at a rate of 1 pool every 25 seconds! 

The researchers also found that during the collapse, 40-meter-high (130-foot) ice blocks were uprooted about 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) downstream from the basin, followed by 6 square kilometers (about 2 square miles) of smooth ice. The researchers hypothesized that these features formed when water burst through the ice, flowed along its surface, and then reentered the ice sheet.

Next, they used data from Landsat 5, Landsat 9, the National Snow and Ice Data Center, and the U.S. Geological Survey to demonstrate that the drainage event also affected the surrounding environment. When the water reentered the ice sheet, it flowed beneath the Harding Glacier downstream. This influx of fast-moving water reduced pressure at the glacier’s base, slowing its movement. Simultaneously, the increased drainage beneath the Harding Glacier caused 500 to 600 meters (about 1,600 to 2,000 feet) of ice to break off its end. 

In response to these changes, the researchers hypothesized that subglacial waters rose to the surface rather than sinking to the bedrock because the ice sheet was frozen to it. To test this, they simulated temperatures at the base of the ice sheet using computer-generated thermal models. They input a range of likely bedrock temperatures and ice thicknesses to simulate possible conditions under the ice sheet. They found that all the simulations predicted the glacier’s base would remain below -5°C (23°F). At such low temperatures, the ice would be frozen to the bedrock before subglacial water could drain out. Since water couldn’t flow under the glacier, it was forced to travel upward. 

The researchers used these findings to develop a new conceptual model of how glacial meltwater moves. First, surface ice melts and flows into a subglacial lake. As meltwater accumulates, pressure builds at the base of the ice sheet, forming a dome on the surface. A drainage event causes the dome to collapse. As water moves downward through the glacier, it is blocked from reaching the base because the ice is frozen to the bedrock. The water then moves upward, bursts through the surface, travels across it, and eventually reenters the glacier before draining to the ocean.

The team concluded that water movement above, through, and below glaciers is interconnected. Destructive upward flow of meltwater, followed by downward flow beneath glaciers, can weaken ice sheet structure and alter downstream glacier dynamics. Their work highlights the need for more scientists to consider the processes driving glacial ice loss.

The post How do ice sheets melt? appeared first on Sciworthy.

New climate change research conducted at CERN offers rare, hopeful news about the planet’s resilience to global warming, finding that phytoplankton are producing far more heat-mitigating aerosols than previously understood.

In a paper recently published in Nature, the researchers reveal an unexpected picture of how clouds and aerosols have changed since the beginning of widespread fossil fuel use, offering a brighter outlook than may have been expected. The new study identifies our planet’s resilience to anthropogenic climate change, suggesting that Mother Nature may be tougher than we think.

Cloud Formation and Climate Change

Cloud condensation nuclei (CCN), tiny particles suspended in the atmosphere, are the cores around which clouds form. When the amount of aerosol particles in the atmosphere increases, they can produce a cooling effect, both by directly reflecting sunlight before it reaches the Earth’s surface and by acting as CCNs. When the number of particles available in the atmosphere for cloud formation increases, more small clouds form, which are also brighter and provide greater coverage.

Ironically, the particles formed by burning fossil fuels act in this way, mitigating the heating effect of the greenhouse gases released by the same processes, and producing a substantial offset in global warming.

Nucleation, the spontaneous condensation of trace vapors, produces more than half of the CCN in Earth’s atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels releases sulfur dioxide, which in turn creates sulfuric acid, the most important of these nucleating vapors.

Unexpected Consequences

As emission controls have reduced atmospheric sulfur dioxide, this has created a catch-22, according to the CERN researchers. These particles are detrimental to human health, increasing the risk of lung problems and even heart disease. However, by reducing their atmospheric concentrations, these interventions are projected to increase global warming as aerosol concentrations trend back toward pre-industrial levels.

“Most climate models currently consider only sulphuric acid-driven nucleation,” explained co-author Jasper Kirkby, of the CLOUD Collaboration. “However, it is vital to understand and properly account for biogenic sources to reliably predict the Earth’s future climate and air quality. Observations over the Southern Ocean and in the upper troposphere over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans indicate that a major source of marine aerosol particles is unaccounted for by current models.”

The CLOUD survey may finally have landed on the identity of this mysterious source. About 20% of atmospheric sulfur comes from marine phytoplankton emitting dimethyl sulfide. As that dimethyl sulfide oxidizes in the atmosphere, it then produces sulfuric acid (SA) and methanesulphonic acid (MSA). While scientists have long understood SA’s role in new particle formation, MSA was poorly understood.

Climate Change Resistance

Through a series of experiments and computer modeling, the CLOUD collaboration discovered that at temperatures below -10 °C, MSA drives particle nucleation in the presence of ammonia just as well as SA, and at temperatures below +10 °C, it drives particle growth, even with minimal ammonia.

“Since MSA and SA generally coexist at similar concentrations in cool marine regions, our findings indicate that particle nucleation rates might be accelerated up to tenfold and growth rates up to twofold compared with sulphuric acid and ammonia alone,” Kirkby said. “Our model simulations indicate that MSA-driven new particle formation may account for the major missing source of marine aerosol particles in current models.”

This work provided important new knowledge to supplement CLOUD’s earlier work identifying large amounts of isoprene-driven new particle formation above tropical rainforests. Between identifying that activity over land and MSA’s newly understood marine CCN formation, CLOUD’s work suggests that the biosphere may be more resilient than previously understood, capable of creating those CCN without anthropogenic emissions to compensate for continuing global warming.

“The CLOUD Collaboration has made an important advance in our understanding of climate”, commented Gautier Hamel de Monchenault, CERN Director for Research and Computing, who was not an author on the study. “It is crucial to deepen our understanding of aerosols: in this case, increased biogenic CCN will affect estimates of the Earth’s climate sensitivity as well as projections of climate warming.”

The paper, “Role of Methanesulfonic Acid in Atmospheric Particle Nucleation and Growth,” appeared in Nature on June 24, 2026.

Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

An unusually early heat wave smashed records across France, Britain and Spain. Temperatures in some areas are starting to soar again.

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The birds are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures, and France’s torrid June took a heavy toll.

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Bill Frist, a surgeon who also served as Senate majority leader, has emerged as an outspoken advocate for environmental health. “A healthier planet means healthier people,” he said.

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The lawsuit aims to hold fossil fuel companies responsible for a heat wave in Portland five years ago. The industry says the case should be thrown out.

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A scientific analysis concluded that such high temperatures, across so much of the continent, would “not have been possible” without global warming.

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The extreme heat smothering Europe has upended Climate Week in London.

© Pool photo by Yui Mok

The burning of fossil fuels is raising temperatures worldwide, but local factors, on land and at sea, determine which regions warm most rapidly.

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